Aubergine & Chickpea Tagine

One pot meals are brilliant, you throw the ingredients in a pot, give it a stir and let the flavours develop and end up with a tasty meal at the end. That is why I love casseroles, stews and tagines. There is of course the added bonus of less washing up!

Lately I seem to be eating less meat and using more vegetables and pulses in my meals instead. If I do buy meat I make sure that it is organic and free range; some animals are pumped full of drugs and hormones that it is a scary thought that we could be consuming those drugs too. While it may cost more to buy free range and organic meat at the end of the day you know that you are eating quality produce.

For this recipe the aubergine is the star of the show, you don’t want to dice them too small and lose the texture of them. I don’t bother salting my aubergine beforehand as I have tried it before and never found it to make that much of a difference.

Serves 4

Ingredients

-1 Tbsp. rapeseed or olive oil

-1 large or 2 small aubergine (approx. 530g total weight), cut into large dice

-1 red onion, diced

-2 garlic cloves, crushed

-1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed well

-1 400g tin chopped tomatoes

-1 1/2 tsp. harissa paste

-1 tsp. ground cinnamon

-1/2 cup of water

-8 dates, stoned and chopped

-fresh coriander leaves to serve – optional

How To Make

In a tagine or casserole dish, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, cooking gently until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the aubergine – you may need to do this in batches – and cook until browned, should take a few minutes.

Next add the harissa paste and stir to coat all the aubergine pieces.

Add all the remaining ingredients except the coriander leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

Cook for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring a couple of times. The aubergine should be soft but has held its shape.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I like to serve this with lemon and coriander quinoa and a dollop of coconut yoghurt on the side.